Running from Blood
by False Name Here
Summary: Finch is convinced that he can keep running from the memories that chase him, but how far will he go before he can't run anymore, and who will stand with him when the time comes to look his past in the face.
1. chapter 1

Running from Blood

Blinking wearly in the light that he was beginning to doubt he would see again after spending what felt like ages wandering in the cramped darkness of a tunnel that his curiosity more or less draged him down. Finch was sartled by the scene that now streched infront of him. Dimmly lit by a crag in the roof, and dotted along it's sides with other tunnel entrances, the cavern was fairly large and divided by a river that slid silently from one dark end of the cavern to the other. After a moments hesitation Finch found his paws dragging him a few paces further in. _Its been a long day, if anything mabye I can sleep here for the night_ , he thought as he watched the thin scratch of moonlight shining through the roof dance on the river surface.

Always a cautious kit, he first turned back to the tunnel he had come through and scratced a line in the dirt in front of it. Turnning back to the cavern now, Finch spent awhile exploring the rest of the cavern, measuring it up, and proding the other tunnels with his nose collecting scents. Satisfied he was alone, and no bagers or foxes were lurking about, Finch padded back to the edge of the river to wash some of the dirt out of his pelt. Finding a comfortable place, and starting on his ears, Finch began to think about what else the cavern's discovery today could mean for him. _Could I live down here?_ , he thought as he shifted attention to his back.

It had been six moons since Finch had settled down anywhere after leaving the group of rouges he had been raised with. The memory of leaving still haunted his mind, it wasn't his choice to leave. Images flashed into his head. A she-cat being torn apart by a group of savage cats, him, standing helpless as he was forced to watch, and running the second he could. Finch shook the thoughts from his head, finishing up with his tail, he gave the cavern another glance around.

 _It might be some work to get nesting materials down here, but there's lots of room, and its out of the wind. Mabye I can push things down in from the hole in the roof?_ With theese and similar thoughts churning in his head, Finch gave his paws a few long thoughtful licks. Standing up and giving each leg a long streatch, he laped at the cool river. Sitting back down, he cast his gaze around one more time. Curling his tail in delight, he decided that the cavern and its quiet river would make the perfect home for him. With this decided, a sound Finch was was certainly no stranger to jarred him to more pressing matters, he was hungry.

 _I wish I hadn't missed that mouse earlier_ , he thought bitterly to himself as he got up to search for the tunnel he had marked earlier."Oh well," he mewed begrudgingly as he padded around the wall of the cavern, "The life of a loner was never an easy one."

But that was something Finch was beginning to enjoy about it, he relished the challenge and took immense pride in his independance. Spotting his line in the dirt he began head twords the surface.

"Leaving so soon?" a voice rang out, halting Finch in his tracks, "That is wise."

His heart pounding in his chest from the surprise, Finch tried to immagine that he had not heard it, but despite the fact that he would have given his own tail to believe himself, he couldn't. His fear ebbing, he found it replaced by a curious mixture of anger and curiousity. Sliding out his claws, he turned to face this stranger.

The cat that sat calmly infront him however compleatly disolved his anger in a heartbeat. This cat looked as ancient as the stones he sat on and as ugly as if he had been hit with every one of them.

"Wh..who are you"? Finch managed to stammer in his confusion as the strange cat stared back at him, or through him, he couldn't tell.

"I am rock." meowed the strange cat in a voice that seemed to eco with the knowledge of a thousand moons."I've been watching you stalk about my home, and I sense that you intend on returning."

Finch was baffled, _who is this cat, and how could he have possibly known what I was thinking?_ Feeling as traped as a mouse Finch wasn't going to bother trying to lie. "Your right, so what"?, said Finch with an edge of defience in his mew.

"You don't belong here." Rock growled back without hesitation.

His anger bubbling up again, Finch took a few paces toward rock, "What's that supposed to mea..." he stoped before he could finish. Closer to rock now he could see more of the grotesque cat, but what had stoped Finch was nothing about how this cat looked; it was the blind eyes that stared back at him.

"This is not a place for the living to dwell." Rock pressed on.

Swallowing the worry Rock's words had put in his belly Finch took another pace forward, "Well that's ridiculous, who else could _live_ down here"? "What are you doing down here"? The answer struck Finch before Rock could reply everything about Rock suddenly made sense. _I must have bees in my brain, this isn't possible._ Finch had never been the kind of cat to believe when cats told him stories of spirits. As far as he was concerned, they were just lies to keep kits in line.

"I've lived for more moons than you could possibly count, so listen when I tell you that you need to leave." "Go back to the surface and live the life you need to," meowed Rock, interupting Finches confused thoughts.

This made Finches tail twitch with irritation, _how dare this spirit, if he is one, tell me what to do._ "Listen here you old fleapelt," he spat, "I don't listen to spirits, I can take care of myself and I'm not going anywhere." He slammed down a front paw as he finished.

Hummor seemed to flash behind Rock's blind eyes, sighing, he turned and started padding back into the depths of the cavern. "Fine, stay here if you want, its not going to work, but, perhaps your as mouse brained as you look."

With Rock gone now Finch lingered a moment wondering if what had just happened was real. His belly growled again and reluctently he padded back into the tunnel to the surface. _Great, of all the places I find to call home, I find the one with a dead cat living in it._

 **A/N:** This is a republishing/revised version of my first (and currently, only) story called _lessons,_ I thought about, and finaly figured out what I wanted to do with the story. I reposted it because I needed to go back and change a few details, and it was eaiser to do this than to compleatly rewrite the story. On another note, I am sorry if there are some formating issues with this and the next few chapters, they were typed and uploaded on a tablet. Hopfully I'll be back on a 'real' computer soon. Thanks for reading if you do, and please, leave a review.


	2. Chater 2

Running from Blood

 _Well, at least my belly is full,_

thought Finch shaking the morning dew out of his pelt and casting a glance at the bones of the vole he had caught last night. Finch couldn't help but notice the way his breath turned to fog in the chilly leaffall air.

The night had been a long and restless one for the young loner. With hunting taking up more time than he would have liked, searching for shelter taking up even more, and thoughts of what he had seen, or thought he had seen, eating up the rest, Finch finally fell into an uneasy sleep just as the moon was beginning to fall. But even this was disturbed by dreamed of reenactments of his encounter in the underground cavern with Rock. Now, after having woken up at about sunhigh and stretched his mussels with a quick hunt, he settled down in a sunny clearing to plot his next move.

 _This is not a place for the living to dwell_. Rock's words rattled back and forth in Finch's head as he took a bite out of the mouse he caught. "Living," he mewed to himself. _What other types of cat are there?_

He was still very hesitant to suddenly just accept the existence of spirits. Still, he had to admit to himself that for once, his stubbornness had not got the better of him and pushed him back into the cavern after his hunt. Spirt or not, there was certainly something about the mysterious cave dweller that Finch couldn't explain. Shaking his head in frustration, Finch cleared the doubts from his head. _Spirits or no spirits, I'm not being scared out of my new home so easily_.

Finishing the rest of his mouse in a few rapid bites, Finch sat up and gave his paws a quick wash. His pelt warmed by the sun and his belly now pleasantly full, he found his old resolve. _I going to see if I can find the spot where the cavern opens up on the surface._ Opening his mouth now, Finch let the scents of the land wash over him. Various prey scuffling about in the undergrowth, the trace of a storm brewing in the distance, but no hint of the damp stones that would have given away the cavern and its dark river. Flattening his ears in frustration, Finch closed his eyes and tried to think of how else he could find the opening.

A moment passed by in silence. The half bare branches overhead clattered in the wind. _I've got to find a proper home before leafbare sets in_. Then, as if his head had only needed such a stray thought to reorganize itself, an idea popped into Finch's head.

Leaping excitedly onto his paws, Finch made his way quickly to the tunnel entrance he used the day before. Reaching it in no time, he took a few paces in and took note which way the tunnel headed. Remembering his foray into it last night, he recalled that this particular tunnel didn't curve much or have any sharp turns. With this in his head, Finch backed out of the tunnel, careful not to change the direction he was facing. Back fully above the ground now, he began padding in as straight a line as he could through the forest. If I don't find the cavern, I can at least find another tunnel to follow.

Padding stealthily through the trees, Finch stopped every so often to check for the scent of stones and water that would lead him to his goal. _I'm running out of time_ , he thought, gazing up at the sun that was getting closer and closer to the tree tops.. Nevertheless, he pushed forward desperately hoping to find at least another tunnel before sundown.

The shadows were beginning to grow long and creep through the forest when Finch finally found the scent he was hunting for. Raising his tail in excitement, he quickly found himself approaching a large, dead, seemingly ancient, juniper tree. As he closed in on it, Finch noticed that the base of the tree was surround entirely by a thick tangle of bramble. "Fox dung" he spat, coming to a stop in front of the wall. _If I crawl through that I'll be picking thorns out of my fur for moons._

Reassured by the scent of damp stone on the air though, Finch clawed his way into the bracken without further hesitation. Grunting with the effort of fighting the thick tendrils, Finch found himself panting with exhaustion by the time he finally pulled his tail out of the other end of the thicket. His fur ruffled and heavy with thorns but still optimistic, Finch began searching franticly amongst the roots and around the base of the tree for what he was certain would be the tunnel he was looking for.

Finch circled the tree several times, and stuck his muzzle under every root that snaked across the ground, but found only frustration as there was no tunnels or opening of any kind to be found. Straining his senses yet again, Finch was baffled, now more than ever, he could smell the scent of the underground world, he even thought he heard the dim trickle of the subterranean river. _I don't get it, the opening must to be here._

After one more trip around the old tree, Finch reluctantly dragged himself back through the dense brambles. On the outside again, Finch sat down in in a storm of anger and confusion. After several minutes spent clawing at the grass, he grudgingly decided to cut his losses and find food and shelter for the night. Noticing how rapidly the forest was darkening, Finch decided quickly to spend the night in between the roots of the old juniper. _There is a hole through the briars now_ , he thought bitterly.

A flash of movement caught the corner of his eye, turning to track it, he spotted a mouse nibbling on a seed just outside the edge of a bush. It was seemingly oblivious to Finch's presence. _At least the prey is making it easy today_. Dropping to a crouch, Finch pulled himself slowly forward, careful to keep his tail from disturbing the leaf litter. Just one more step. He pounced. Claws outstretched, they sank into the mouse with ease, pinning it. Bending down to dispatch the trapped animal with a quick bite to the neck, Finch was taken completely off guard as he was thrown heavily to his side by the weight of another creature hitting him in the side. Startled and a little dazed, Finch managed to scramble back onto his paws and in blind fury leap at his attacker. Landing squarely on his mark, it became clear to Finch that his aggressor was another cat. _Good, at least it's not a badger or a fox_. Raking his hind claws down the back of the other cat, he felt confident he could make quick work of his foe. Distracted by thoughts of victory, Finch was surprised when, with shocking speed, his enemy dropped to its belly and rolled over, sending Finch sprawling once more onto his side. Before he could find his paws again he felt the slice of claws across his muzzle. Blood immediately welling up and dripping onto the ground below. Enraged by his new injury, Finch let out a yowl of utter rage and leaped back at the cat. Sailing high through the air, Finch felt confident he could push the cat to the ground with the sheer force of the impact. He was surprised however, when upon landing on the foe, it rolled out of the way and kicked its hind legs out in a powerful kick. Thinking faster than he ever thought he could, Finch countered with a kick mirroring that of the attacker. This sent both cats flying away from each other leaving both struggling to find their breath as they got back up.

After what felt like a lifetime, both cats found each other glaring at each other, tails lashing back and forth. For the first time Finch could finally study his opponent. It was a she-cat, her pelt was a silvery white streaked with slight stripes of a darker grey. Staring directly into her piercing blue eyes, he expected her to launch herself back at him. He didn't know what to do though when then the aggression in her eyes seemed to vanish and was replaced by something else. _Is that, laughter?_

Purring loudly and shaking visibly now with laughter, the she-cat looked like she could barely stand on her paws. "I never thought that a thorn bush could ever fight back like that." She managed to choke out between her gasp for air.

"What!" Finch shot back in indignation.

"Your pelt, your more plant than cat." She meowed back, still struggling to bring herself under control.

Hot with embarrassment, Finch remembered the thorns that must be clinging to his pelt from his trip through the brambles. _She must think I'm a kit who can't groom myself._ At a loss for a decent defense for himself, Finch ignored the she-cat's mocking and retorted angrily. "Why did you attack me, that mouse was mine!"

Having regained a bit of her composure, the she cat responded casually as she began to clean the wounds on her back. "Coincidence, we both jumped at the same time." She finished with a flick of her tail.

Finch didn't know if he believed her excuse or not. Seeing that she wasn't hostile anymore though, he decided to just let it go. After all, what's done is done, he thought. "Well which one of us gets it"? Finch pressed on, jerking his head towards the spot where the body of the mouse still lay.

"You keep it, you gave the killing bite." The she cat replied turning back from tending to the wounds on her back. "Tell you what though, that scratch on your muzzle looks pretty deep. If you want, I know some herbs that grow around here that can help you, I'll trade you your mouse for them."

Only now did Finch remember the scratch on his muzzle. He ran a paw quickly over the wound. _It is pretty bad,_ he thought as he looked at his now blood soaked paw. Knowing how mousebrained it would be to just leave the injury unchecked, Finch found his paws tied. _I don't know the first thing about herbs, and I really can't afford an infection this close to leafbare_. The thought dragging Finch back to the time he had seen one of the rouges in his old group die from an infection, amoung other things, that could have been prevented if the leafbare snows hadn't killed all of the herbs. "Fine, just eat quick, I've got other things I need to do."

At this the she-cat padded over to the mouse and began eating it in clean rapid bites, leaving Finch to clean the blood off his paw and pull some of the thorns out of his fur. The she-cat finished quickly, gave her own paws a quick washing, and headed back to where Finch sat. Moving swiftly, "come on," she called back behind her, using her tail to flick Finch's ear as she passed. Pushing his annoyance aside, Finch followed close behind.

The moon was climbing rapidly into the sky now. Great, another late night, Finch thought irritably as the two cats walked at a quick pace through the shadows of the forest. "So, what's your name"? The she-cat's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Who wants to know"? Finch shot back, instinctively defensive.

"Hmm... I see it's not just the thorns in your pelt that make you so prickly. I'm Moon." The she-cat replied with an air of amusement in her mew.

Finch still didn't trust this cat any more than he could change the seasons, but he couldn't find any reason not to give his name. "My name's Finch."

"Perhaps that explains why you look so bird brained," Moon meowed back still not breaking her stride or turning her head.

"And maybe your name explains why you're so hapless," Finch replied, feeling the first faint flicker of amusement he had in moons.

At this Moon whirled around. "Who are you calling hapless"? Her voice almost cracking with indignation. "If it weren't for you looking like a holly bush, I'd have clawed you into next Greenleaf"!

Pleased to finally have the upper paw for the first time since the two of them met, Finch replied with a smirk. "That's exactly what makes you so hapless, you left yourself vulnerable to attack just because you found something funny."

"Well, I'm not as hapless as the cat who can't smell when another cat is stalking their prey," meowed Moon challengingly.

"I'll flatten you with one paw." Finch retorted with a low growl.

The two cats glared at each other for a seemingly endless minute. Only the shriek of a nearby owl brought them back to their senses with a start.

"We should be moving, it's getting late. Come on, we're almost there." Moon turned away with an irritated flick of her tail.

Night had completely set in by the time Finch and Moon came to a stop in front of a plant growing at the base of a small oak tree. The large leaves of the plant swayed in the night breeze.

"This is dock." meowed Moon through clenched teeth as she chewed one of the leaves off of the plant and then chewed it into a pulp. "It grows almost everywhere there are trees, I'd try to remember it if I were you."

Finch couldn't tell if that was supposed to be a threat. Taking note of its tangy smell and broad leaves, Finch committed the plant to memory. "Ah, that stings!" he hissed, wincing as Moon, without warning, began lapping the chewed up plant into the cut on his muzzle.

Finishing, Moon took a step back, "yeah, that's another way to tell it from other herbs."

"Thanks," Finch grumbled, his muzzle still stinging from the herb.

An awkward silence fell over the pair. The seconds seemed to drag on like the sun across the sky on a Greenleaf day. "Well, thanks anyway." Finch finally broke the tension. Giving Moon a final nod farewell he turned and began to pad away.

"Wait." he heard Moon call behind him. "You said you had other things you needed to do. What was it? As far as I know, there isn't anything to do around here but survive"?

Finch quickly tried to think of a lie to tell her, but for some reason he just couldn't think of one. _I've got to start finding more food, I can't think straight_. Sighing, he decided to tell her at least half the truth, he'd leave out the part about Rock. "If you must know, I'm trying to get into the underground tunnels. I tracked the smell of an entrance to the base of that dead juniper, and was looking for the way in." To his surprise, Moon didn't ask him why he wanted into the tunnels. "But there was nothing there, so I guess I'll just forget the whole thing." Finch finished with a quick lie.

The usual gleam of amusement seemed to return to the silver she-cat's now moonlit eyes. "Your not a very good liar you know, but that aside, your right abought the juniper being a way into the tunnels."

Finch's ears pricked up at this. "What do you know"?

"Didn't you notice? That juniper is hollow." meowed Moon.

The realization struck Finch immediately. There must be a tunnel in the tree! Whirling around in a hurry, he began heading back to the old tree. To his annoyance though, he found Moon pacing by him step for step just a heartbeat later. "I'm coming with you." She declared.

"Why"? Finch threw her an exasperated look.

"I don't have anything else to do, I may as well explore some tunnels with my new friend."

 _Wonderful, now I have a friend,_ thought Finch turning back to face the path. _Ughh._

A/N : There's chapter 2, much better than the first I think, but please, don't leave me wondering, read review. Also, just in case this is actually necessary, (though I would imagine the fact that this is posted on a fanfiction site would make it self-evident) I do not own any thing that I don't obviously own.


	3. Chapter 3

Lessons (Finch & Home) Chapter 3

Moon awoke groggily with a loud yawn. The sun was making its daily climb to its peak, and a cold wind blew steadily from the moors outside the forest. Climbing out from between the roots of the old juniper that had been her nest, she caught a glimpse of the loner she followed to the old tree last night. He was still asleep, his rusty brown flank rising and falling in steady rhythm. Moon wasn't surprised, the loner looked like he could barely stand by the time the two of them reached the tree.

Moon couldn't help but notice how the loner made a point of sleeping on the opposite side of the tree from her. _Hmpf, he's certainly a cautious one_ , she thought with a snort. _I guess I can't blame him for it though._ Catching sight of the scar on his muzzle, Moon felt a twinge of sympathy for the cat. _I defiantly cut him pretty deep_. She gingerly picked her way over to him and gave the now scarred flesh a closer inspection. _It's healing well though, at least, there's no sign of infection that is._

 _I suppose some hunting's in order now_. Moon flexed her claws.

Outside the bramble wall that surrounded the juniper tree, Moon probed the air optimistically for the scent of prey. There must be something around here. The leaffall had been fairly light so far, the prey wasn't nearly as scarce as it had been in ones before. _There!_ The scent of a squirrel wafted over her from a few trees away. Senses alert, Moon moved swiftly towards the scent. Coming to a stop below a birch tree, she looked up. _There it is!_ The squirrel sat in a fork of the tree a couple of tail lengths above chewing on a nut. _Hmm, how to do this?_ Moon took note of the wind direction. _I wish this thing would have been on the ground, I'd have had it by now_ , she thought as she sank her claws into a tree downwind of her quarry. As quietly as she could, she slipped from branch to branch until she was only a tail length away. The squirrel, still occupied by its own meal remained unaware of Moon. Judging the distance, Moon let go of her perch above the unsuspecting creature. Falling like a stone through the sky, Moon landed right on her mark. The squirrel let out the faintest squeak of alarm as Moon's claws grasped its flank. The grace of Moon's kill ended here. Not factoring in the squirrel's weight, Moon tumbled awkwardly off the branch with the squirrel still griped in her claws. Acting with lightning speed, Moon let the animal go and twisted her body around in the air. Falling more like a leaf caught in the wind than a stone now, Moon landed heavily on her paws. The squirrel landed with a crack and sickening thud a heartbeat later, its neck broken.

Moon slowly steadied herself and gave each paw a tentative shake. "Good, nothing's broken," she sighed with relief while looking over at the body of the squirrel. "Well I guess that's one way to do it," she shrugged, picking up the body and heading back to the juniper.

"Hmpf, I guess it was a little hopeful of me to think you'd left me alone now." The loner snorted when Moon pushed her way through the brambles around the juniper. He sat grooming himself on one of the juniper's roots.

Moon dropped her squirrel. "And I guess it was a little mouse brained of me to think you'd have picked some of the ants out of your fur by now. Look Finch, I'm not that easy to get rid of. Now, if you want to act a little more kind, there's enough food here to share. I'll be here waiting if you can't."

Moon could see the hurt pride in Finch's eyes as the loner weighed her words. _At least he's not as dumb as he is irritating_ , she thought as Finch finally let out a sigh of defeat and padded over to where Moon sat with her prey.

"You're lucky that I haven't eaten since sunhigh yesterday," meowed the loner begrudgingly.

Moon couldn't help but feel a stab of sympathy for the proud cat _. I guess I'd be just as hurt if I had to rely on a cat I just met to catch my food._

Without exchanging more than a few awkward and uneasy glances at each other, the two cats ate in their prey with hungry zeal. By now the sun was shining brightly in the clear skies and the forest was beginning to fall into a midday, windswept silence.

"So, I'd say we have some tunnels that need exploring," meowed Moon, sitting up from her meal and throwing her eyes to the old juniper behind Finch.

"Yes, I suppose we do. Can I ask you something first though?

Moon shrugged, "sure."

"If you knew about the tunnels and this tree being an entrance, and you wanted to explore them before, then why did you have to wait for me to come along to explore them? After all, you seem more than capable of protecting yourself."

Moon gave Finch a long stare as she thought of a response. "Sometimes Finch," she replied after a moment, "a cat has to admit to certain fears of things. I for one, don't like sticking my paws where my eyes can't guide them. You however, seem to have no issues with that. So, here we are," she finished with a dismissive flick of her tail.

"Right," was all the loner replied with a huff. "Well come on then."

Following in silence, Moon took a place beside Finch below the ancient trunk and sat looking up searching for anything that could be an entrance.

"We know it's hollow…" Meowed Finch trailing off as he curled his tail around his paws.

The pair continued searching the tree for any sign of an entrance.

"There!" Moon called out excitedly, shattering the silence that had fallen between the trees. "Right there! Look, it's just about halfway up. There's an old owl hole. That must be it."

"It's worth a shot." Replied Finch as his gaze shifted to follow Moon's.

Without waiting for a reply the loner bunched his mussels and launched himself at the tree. The climb wasn't an easy one. With exception of the stub of a branch that clung relentlessly to the decaying trunk just below the owl hole, the tree had no other spots where a cat could sit and catch its breath. Nevertheless, Moon spotted Finch waiting for her on the branch moments later. Even from the distance she sat away from him, Moon could practically see the determination radiating off the loner. _Okay, here we go_.

Grunting with the effort, Moon finally hauled herself onto the branch beside Finch sometime soon after she began her climb. "Lead the way pathfinder." She nodded toward the tunnel with a slight smirk.

Rolling his eyes, finch turned and padded into the hollow. Moon watched as the tip of his tail disappeared into the darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

Finch's claws ached as he scrambled down the hollow trunk. Gripping the crumbling wood with all four paws and hoping that the drop wasn't too far was all he could do to keep his calm _. I wish I hadn't gone headfirst._ _At least Moon's not fairing any better_. The pained gasp coming from the silver laced she-cat a taillength or so overhead gave finch a slight feeling of satisfaction. _That'll teach her not follow me._

Suddenly, the wood under Finch's front paws gave way. Plunging suddenly, Finch tumbled into darkness. His heart pounding in his chest, he was relived to find himself still breathing as he lay sprawled on the gently sloped floor of a tunnel. Getting up quickly, Finch shook the dirt and last bits of shock out of his fur and was relieved to find the tunnel big enough for a cat to stand in and even big enough for two cats to stand next to each other if they wanted. A heartbeat later, Moon came to the same kind of bumbling sprawl Finch had.

"You could have chosen an easier route, you know." Meowed the she-cat, shaking the dirt from her own pelt and looking a bit indigent from her less the graceful decent.

"Once again," Finch meowed coolly, "you didn't have to follow me. Would you rather lead, pathfinder"? He couldn't help but throw the last part out with a hint of amused sarcasm.

Moon just rolled her eyes, "Just get on with it you annoying furball."

Finch turned around and strained his senses. The cramped, wet conditions of the tunnel made it impossible to navigate by scent. The damp earth soaked up any sign that might distinguish the cavern from any other part of the dark network. Frustratingly, Finch found his hearing equally as impaired by the twisting tunnels. What he could hear of the river seemed to eco from all directions, as if to create some sort of ghostly voice of the underground. Mocking him and his lack of sense of direction.

Flattening his ears at the inconvenience, Finch was forced to just choose a direction and hope it was the right one. Using his whiskers as a guide, he started padding down the tunnel in the direction that led downslope. _Water flows downhill right?_ "This way," he threw behind him as he brushed past Moon.

"How do you know"? Huffed Moon as she scurried to catch up with Finch.

"I don't."

Moon let out a hiss of anger and contempt for her guide.

Hearing this, Finch couldn't help but feeling a prick of annoyance. "You..."

"Didn't have to come, I know." Moon finished his sentence, clearly aggravated.

Fine with this, Finch let quiet swallow them, and quickened his pace down the tunnel.

As the moments slipped by in colourless silence, and the tunnel showed no sign of emptying out into anything else but more tunnel, Finch discovered for the first time in a day and a half, he had time to mull over the things that got him here and where he could go now.

 _Have I gone insane?_ The thought couldn't help but weigh on Finches mind. _Is all this trouble really worth it? It is just a dim cave. It might have been if I weren't having to drag that annoying she-cat in my pawsteps, ugh. Hopefully she'll leave after we get out of the tunnels._ Taking a deep breath, Finch pushed the pestering thoughts out of his head. _At any rate, there is one thing that needs to be, no, will be, settled today._ The thought of confronting Rock again made Finch's pelt crawl with apprehension.

"Fox dung"! _That hurt_. Lost in his head, Finch failed to notice that the tunnel had widened out and split, and walked straight into the wall of earth between the two tunnels. With his already scarred muzzle searing in pain, he took a step backwards, sat down, and waited agonizingly for the pain to fade.

"Are you going to be ok"? Moon's voice rang in Finch's ears as the she-cat came to a halt next to him.

"No, I'm not. You're going to have to burrow to the surface and find help." Meowed Finch sarcastically through clenched teeth.

"Well you can still be annoying, so you can't be that hurt." Was all the comfort Moon bothered to give the loner before sitting down and cleaning the dirt off of her face.

Sighing with relief as the pain faded to a dull sting, Finch finally started thinking about which tunnel to go down now. Casting a quick glance down either one, he bent to wash his chest while he weighed the options.

Finishing this quickly, and having not come up with any reason to pick one tunnel over the other, he decided he'd just leave the choice up to Moon. "Right or left"? Finch asked. Moon's silence seemed to float with the same air of indecisiveness as Finch felt in his head.

"Follow me." The words drifted eerily into Finch's ears, sending a chill up his spine. "Did you say something"? Finch asked, puzzled.

"No, I'm still waiting on you."

Just then, a flicker of movement darted in the side of Finch's vision. "Did you see that"?

"I can't see anything. What's with all the questions all of a sudden? Just pick a tunnel."

Tracking the movement with his eyes, Finch found himself staring down one of the tunnels, and was bewildered to see what seemed to be the faint outline of another cat padding down the tunnel. Words echoed in Finch's ears again, "this way." _How many cats are down here?_ He thought as he began padding after the figure, unable to resist. "Come on," he called back to Moon.

Still following the strange shape at a brisk pace, the image suddenly began to fade as if it were breaking away from them. "Wait"! Finch almost yowled, while breaking into a full run.

"For what"? Moon called back in confusion, trying to catch up with Finch. "What's got you running now"?

Ignoring her question, Finch pressed on. Suddenly, a familiar glow seeped into the darkness. _The cavern! Finally!_

Bursting out into the cavern a moment later, Finch frantically scanned for the cat he had seen in the tunnel. _Nothing,_ he thought in confusion, _cats don't just disappear like that_. "Where'd you go" Finch yowled the question into the stone hollow.

"Who, or what, are you yowling at"? Moon meowed completely perplexed, as she finally caught up with Finch.

Finch thought quickly to dodge the question. "I, uh, was just making sure you were keeping up," he lied.

"Right." Moon meowed flatly. "This cavern is pretty amazing. Is this why you were trying to get down here"? She meowed after a moment.

"Yes" Finch mumbled hoping that Moon wouldn't press the matter any further.

"Why? I mean, it's neat and all, but there's no reason I can think of that a cat would be as desperate to get down here as you were."

Finch pawed the ground nervously as he searched for a way to answer the question. "You were pretty eager to come down here the second you found a cat to come with." Finch meowed eventually, still trying to avoid telling Moon everything.

Moon eyed Finch suspiciously. "Fair enough," she meowed

Seeing his chance to escape any further questions, Finch started to move away from Moon back towards the cavern wall. "Now where are you going"? Moon's last question floated through the dimly lit air.

"I'm going to mark the tunnel we came through so we know which way is out. Go explore, you can see your own paws now." To his relief the she-cat shrugged and began padding out towards the middle of the cave. _At least that's somewhat true_ , he thought to himself. The reality was that in his haste to catch up with strange light in the tunnel, he had forgotten to keep track of which tunnel they had come through. _I'll just find the line I made in front of the tunnel the last time I was here,_ he reassured himself. _Then I'll deal with Rock._

Other than the trickle of the river, and the occasional scuff of paws on earth and stone, the cavern was utterly silent. _Now if only I could settle the issue with Rock and get Moon out of my fur, I could actually enjoy the peace down here._ Finch thought as he made his way steadily around the edge of the cavern in search of his mark; being careful to always keep Moon a fair distance away. Throwing her a glance now, he caught her eyes. _Mouse dung_! He tried to look as unassuming as he could while Moon stared at him quizzically for a moment. Finch's mussels relaxed as the silver cat turned her gaze and went about her business without a word. _That was close. "I need to get a move on._ "

Before he knew it, the moments were turning into what felt like an eternity that weighed heavily in Finch's belly. _Where is that mark_? _What else is down here that could erase it?_ Having circled every pawstep of the cavern's edge, Finch was at a complete loss as the questions began whirling in his head, and whether or not he believed the answers that he kept coming to, they worried him nonetheless. Finally, he came to a stop. _I guess we'll just have to find a new tunnel and hope it leads out, at least we ate well before we came down here. I guess I'll try to deal with Rock now. How can I find him_ , turning around as his thoughts trailed off; Finch nearly jumped out of his fur upon finding the old blind cat staring at him a few taillengths away. How long has he been there?

"Long enough," The ancient cat let out in a low growl. "And I see you are actually as mousebrained as you look."

Waiting long enough for his mussels to stop trembling from the scare, Finch stared Rock up and down trying to best judge how to handle the old cat _. I don't want to shed blood if I don't have to._

"You won't get anywhere attacking me. I thought you would at least have figured that out by now." Rock's words broke into his thoughts.

 _H, he read my mind. How?_ Shocked into complete silence, Finch could only stare dumbly back. Something at Rock's paws caught Finch's eye. _A stick?_

Without saying a word, Rock rolled the stick over and with eerie calmness scratched two lines into the wood. Peering closer now, Finch could see that the stick was covered with similar marks. Still speechless, he just stared back at Rock.

"You are not where you should be. You may leave, but you will not return here if you do, it is not your destiny, nor your partner's." At this, Rock padded into the darkness leaving finch alone with his swirling thoughts.

 _May? If? Destiny? Partner?_ "Moon"! _Where did she go?_ Finch tried to think of the last time he had seen her. An ominous clap of thunder burst into the cavern and rushed over Finch. _A storm!_ The vague memory of smelling rain on the air yesterday came back to him. Rain began to pour heavily through the cavern's roof, and the river seemed to start swelling immediately. _We've got to get to the surface!_

Finch searched frenziedly around the cavern for Moon. _She must have gone into one of the tunnels_ , he thought with frustration. _So much for needing a guide. Wait, this is my chance to get rid of her._ Finch immediately shook the thought from his head. "I'm not that evil," he told himself.

Focusing once more for a sign to follow, a familiar glow flickered in the mouth of a tunnel on the other side of the cavern. A voice drifted over him, the same one from earlier, "Hurry, we don't have much time." The glow disappeared into the tunnel.

 _I'll take what I can get_. Paws pounding hard on the rough stone, Finch took a running leap over the fast growing river. He landed hard on his front paws, his back ones sliding on the now slick stone and sending pain roaring into his body. Ignoring this, Finch frantically clawed his way out of the river and continued his race to the tunnel.

His paw steps splashing heavily in the water that trickled down the tunnel's floor, Finch limped through the darkness desperately searching for signs of Moon. The strange voice slid into his ear, "turn here." Too shaken to protest even mentally, Finch obeyed and followed the glowing shape down a side tunnel. He could swear he could feel the pelt of another cat brushing his.

Every heartbeat seemed to drag at his stamina. _I've got to find Moon. I've got to find a way out._ Finch could feel the strength seeping from his limbs. "Help"! The faint cry reached Finch's ear. "Moon! Where are you"? Finch called hopefully into the tunnel.

"Just a bit further ahead. Hurry please, I'm stuck." Moon's weary yowls for help seemed to be growing weaker by the moment.

Summoning up all the energy he could find, Finch limped faster down the tunnel, gasping in pain at every step. Finally, he spotted her. Moon! "What's wrong"?

"I'm stuck. The wall of the tunnel collapsed over me when the rain started. You're going to have to dig."

The She-cat's labored breathing told finch that she must be in as more pain as he was. Working speedily, Finch clawed at the dirt burying Moon's flank. The time dragged on agonizingly as Finch's mussels screamed in protest, but eventually he managed to claw away a large chunk of the now water heavy dirt and stone. "Can you move now"?

"I'll try." Holding her breath against the pain, and with Finch still clawing away at the dirt holding her legs down, Moon hauled her back legs out of their earthen tomb, and promptly collapsed back to the floor gasping for breath.

Finch waited patiently for Moon to catch her breath, flicking his tail back and forth in an effort to calm his own mind. With the water running around his paws though, he was forced to break the silence. "How hurt are you? We need to move now," he meowed as calmly as he could manage.

The she-cat struggled to her paws, but buckled in a gasp of shock as she put weight on her hind leg. "I think it's sprained. Come over here and help me up, I can still limp out of here."

Reassured by her resilience, and glad for someone to lean on himself, Finch slid into position by Moon and helped her up. Finally steady on her paws, Moon looked at Finch. "Do you know the way out"?

"Yes," he meowed confidently swallowing his own doubt, while the two limped in tandem back the way they had come; water still flowing steadily under paw. _Please show us the way out, Finch pleaded silently to himself._

Coming to the larger tunnel, Finch and Moon stopped to catch their breath. "Which way now"? Moon asked in a tone heavy with exhaustion. Finch tried to maintain his composure as he looked for an answer that he believed himself. "Uhh," he began and broke off as the feeling of another cat's pelt brushed past his, "This way out, quickly, you're running out of time." Practically out of his wits at the now fourth encounter with the strange, apparently, invisible cat, Finch kept himself together, and resolved to get Moon and himself out, and ask questions later. "Come on, it's not much further," Finch pushed Moon back onto her paws, ignoring the pain in his own leg.

Practically dragging their paws across the ground, the two came to a steep incline in the tunnel. Moonlight streamed down, bouncing off the water that still flowed into the tunnels mouth. At the brink of exhaustion, both cats bunched the mussels in their hind legs, and with the last shred of strength they had, pushed their way out of the tunnel.

Staggering forward with the momentum of their last effort the two cats fell in a tangled heap of wet fur, mud, defeat. Finch's eyes slammed closed the same instant he hit the ground, sleep engulfing him entirely as the rain gently lapped the mud from his pelt.


	5. Chapter 5

"Moon." Finch prodded the she-cat's flank gently trying to wake her up. "Moon, wake up." The silver cat stired with a groan of disaproval. "Wha, let me sleep. Leg hurts," she rolled over mumbling, her head flopping listlessly to the side as she trailed off. Finch placed a paw on her injured leg _. Hmm, swollen, it's definatly sprained. Ok, Food first, and hopfully Moon will be up when I get back._

The tail ends of the rain clouds were just beginning to disapear in the clear morning sky; leaving the ground and everything growing from it soaked. Before he knew it, Finch's pelt was streaming with water as he padded through the undergrowth. Finch shook it off with only a mild amount of irritation; he was still wet from sleeping in the open last night, _what's a little more water,_ he thought. Scanning the treetops and checking the air for scent, Finch was disappointed to find no traces of prey. _The prey must still be in their burrows waiting for it to dry out_. Determined to fill his belly, and Moon's, he padded on, ears pricked.

The sound of rushing water and faint squeaking drew Finch's attention. Pushing his way through the briars, a rain swollen creek tore at the banks that had once controlled the waters between them. Up stream, the faint squeaking grew louder as Finch came closer to the creek's bank. Finch strained his eyes towards the sound. _What luck_! Tumbling in the current, a plump mouse was strugling to keep its head above the water. _It must have been washed from its burrow by the surge. I never thought I'd ever fish, especially not for mice._

Bounding onto a bare patch of the bank, Finch leaned out over the creek, paw outstreached and claws ready. The mouse was still making futile atempts to fight the current as Finch's paw flashed out towards it. _Splash!_ Finch's paw slid out from under him, sending him tummbling headfirst into the torent. Pain burned his body as the current beat him against rocks and draged the breath out of his lungs. _No! Can't die now_. The thought sparked in his head as he made a weak attempt to kick towards the surface. _Crack!_ Another rock pounded Finch's head, knocking him out.

The moon hung high in the air as Finch stired and slowly came back to his senses. Images of a raging creek, the sound of rushing water, a sharp pain in his head, a mouse? The trickle of memories eventualy pooled to form a whole memory. His every mussel aching with the effort, Finch managed to raise himself to his front paws, and reach one to feel the sore spot on his head. It throbed with pain at the touch. Ow!

"Awake at last I see." The voice jerked Finch back to his surroundings. Padding from out of a hollow in the base of a tree, a tom carried a vole toward Finch. Putting it down in front of him, the tom eyed Finch with curriosity and circled around him once looking him up and down. "Besides that bumb on your head, you seem to be fine." With this the tom sat down and began to wash his jet black fur. Looking up after a moment, he motioned with his paw to the vole in front of Finch. "Eat," was all he said as he went back to his washing.

Finch prodded the vole with a paw and gave it a careful sniff. "Its not going to hurt you, I promise." The tom meowed not looking up again. Hunger clawed at Finch's belly. Taking a small bite, Finch chewed cautiously. As the flavor filled his mouth though, Finch quickly found himself devouring the rest of it in large famished mouthfuls. Looking up from his meal, Finch finaly spoke to the black tom that was now lounging in the moonlight that poured through the treetops. "Who are you, and where am I"?

The tom got back to his paws and returned Finch's stare. "I'm Storm, and you are at my home."

"And where exactly is that"?

"By the lake. I was looking for herbs by the river when I saw you laying on the the bank with your tail dragging in the water. I thought you were dead, but, you weren't, so I draged you back here so you wouldn't be eaten by a fox."

Storm's straightfowardness took Finch by surprise and left him a little confused as to how he should respond. "Ok, uh, thanks I quess." Storm nodded his acceptence. "Well I guess I'll be going then." Finch turned around and headed towards the edge of the clearing. _Wait!_ The memory of Moon laying injured up stream flashed into his head. Stopping, Finch turned back to Storm who still sat silently in the moonlight. "You said you were gathering herbs, right? Do you know how to heal?"

Storm looked calmly back at Finch for a second before finaly answering him. "Yes, I know a thing or two, every cat should."

Choosing to ignore the jab, Finch pressed the more urgent matter. "I have a, urr, umm, friend," the word felt awkward on his toung,"who cound really use some help not far from here." Finch hoped that last part wasn't a lie.

Without a word, Storm padded over to his home in the hollowed out tree trunk, and sliped inside. Finch waited patiantly for a moment, but began to lose hope when Storm didn't reapear. _Is this this weird cat's way of saying no?_ Suddenly, Storm's yellow eyes appered in front of the hollow. "Come here." The sharpness of the comand somewhat angered Finch, but he obeyed anyway.

"How exactly is your friend hurt?" Storm asked as soon as Finch stoped in front of the tree.

"It's, uh, her leg. I think it's sprained." _Is this cat ever going to give me a chance to collect my breath._

Storm vanished into his den again. Currious, Finch poked his head into the hollow. Beyond being a bit surprised at how much space the hollw had, Finch was more so by the sight of Storm sitting, and sorting a pile of herbs and berries. Finch was watching this with great interest for a few heartbeats when Storm's mew broke the tense air that had settled in the hollow."I wouldn't recomend sticking your head into dark holes with cats you don't know in them. It could be, dangerous." _Tell me about it_ , Finch thought as he entered the den compleatly. "What are you doing with all these plants.?"

"You said your friend was hurt didn't you?"

"So you'll help?" Hope flooded back into Finch.

Folding the now sorted herbs in a large leaf, Storm picked up the bundle, and padded back out into the clearing. "Of course. It's what I do," The cool toned answer floating behind him.

Finch lingered a moment in the hollow, unsure if he should be so willing to trust this cat. Something about how, collected, he was put Finch's fur on end. Sighing, Finch debated whether or not to just try sliping away without having Storm following. _No! Moon needs this._ _Whether or not I trust him, besides, I'm pretty sure I could run him off if I need to. Why do I care so much about Moon right now anyway?_ Before he could hear this last thought however, it sliped away. Finch padded out into the clearing and stoped in front of Storm. "Which way is the river?" Strorm pointed with his tail, and with a nod Finch turned and headed to the river, Storm and his herbs just behind.

Storm and Finch walked in complete silence to the river bank, not exchanging even a glance at eachother as they stoped briefly to streatch their legs and turn towards upstream. _How far did I float down anyway?_ Finch was half tempted to ask Storm if he knew, but decided to just drop it, and enjoy the quiet.

The Moon now setting, Finch was relieved when the, now increasingly, familiar scent of Moon came to him. "Quickly! Over here." Finch made a sharp turn inland without even checking to see if Storm followed.

Moon's silvery pelt came into sight soon after veering away from the river, she hadn't moved from where Finch had left her. Nervous about what he may find, Finch crept cautiously up to her side. Relief washed over him as he saw her flank gently rise and fall.

"Not dead. That's good. But I do smell infection." Storms sudden apearence next to him almost made Finch leap out of his fur.

"Do you ever announce yourself? And what do you mean 'infection', it's a sprained leg, not a cut. What kind of healer are you?" The questions poured out before Finch could think to stop. "Sorry," he muttered after a tense minute, "Can you help her, please"? he asked, trying to sound friendly.

Storm padded over to Moons side, and sniffed at the swollen leg, and, much to Finch's horror, propped his shoulder under Moon, and roughfly rolled her onto her other side, revealing a large, dirt covered, ragged cut on Moon's shoulder. Blood still trickling out in small pulses. Looking sternly back at Finch, Storm seemed to be challenging Finch to ask any more questions. "Sorry," Finch muttered again feeling hot with shame.

Storm looked back to Moon, and then after a heartbeat's pause, unwraped his herbs, and got to work. Finch began to pad towards where Storm was working, but was interupted."You should get some rest, your no doubt still exhausted from almost drowning today. Leave me to do my work."

Finch shifted uneasily on his paws. He hated to admit it, but the mere thought of sleep made his bones feel heavier. Reluctently he retreated back a few paces and settled down, keeping one eye on Storm as the black tom mummbled to himself as he worked. ."Cobwebs for bleeding. Marrigold for disinfection. Dock for preventing it..." Soon, despite his resistance, Finch's eyes drooped, and Storm's mumblings lulled him to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Running from Blood

"No! You can't do this." Finch screamed.

"Shut up, and let this be a lesson. There is no place for weakness here." With this, a signal was given to two big toms. They began to circle a she-cat who stood trembling over the body of another cat. Its throat was slit open and blood still poured slowly from the wound. The she-cat gave Finch one last worried look before the two toms pounced.

Finches eyes flew open as the sharp jab of a claw pressed on his flank. The echos of his dream still rang faintly in his ears. _Just another one._ The realization that he had been only dreaming filled Finch with a sense of relief. This didn't last long though. As his sleep heavy vision unblured and the world came into focus, so did the face of the cat who had clawed him awake. _Storm!_

"It's past morning, Moon is still alive, and awake now, I've caught us each somthing to eat, you should come join us." Meowed storm the second Finches eyes had focused on him.

 _One day I will find the words to let you know how annoying you are._ "Thanks," Finch meowed instead, getting up and following Storm over to where Moon lay hungrily gnawing at a bone of a vole. "It's good to see you finaly up." Finch purred to Moon as he sat down and draged the still warm body of a thrush toward him.

Moon swallowed the bite of vole she was chewing on and opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Storm. "Yes, that was a nasty cut on your leg. Luckily the infection hadn't run to deep yet. You should be good as new as long as you don't reopen the wound."

"Thank you," meowed Moon, with the slightest trace of a growl, as she threw Finch a questioning look. "I quess I should also thank you Finch, for not just leaving me here to fend for myself."

Finch felt a wave of embarrassed shame as he recalled thinking of doing exactly just that. "It was nothing, you'd have done the same."

Moon just noded, then glanced at both Finch and Storm. "So you two, whats the next move?"

Storm spoke up before Finch could think of his answer. "If it's allright with you," he meowed in his typical neutral tone, " I'd like to follow you two around for atleast today and keep my eye on Moon's wounds. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I were to find out that I had failed to dress it properly."

Moon exchanged another inquisitive look with Finch who just shruged his shoulders. "I suppose that will be allright." Moon meowed after a moment. Turning back to face Finch, Moon reasked her question. This time directing it only toward Finch.

Finch squirmed in his pelt as he fought for an answer. He hadn't had time since coming out of the tunnels to think about what he would do next, much less if he even wanted to drag Moon along with him still. Moon and Storm sat patiently eating their meals as Finch thought carfully about his answer. Chewing slowly on his thrush, Finch argued desperatly with himself wether or not he should reveal his encounters with Rock and what he had told him. _If I tell them, they'll think I'm a mouse brain. If I don't tell them, then I'll have to admit to being compleatly clueless._ Finally swallowing, Finch decided to take his chances. "I've decided what to do," he meowed at last.

"And what is that?" meowed Moon in a tone that seemed to jab at Finch for taking as long as he had to finaly answer her question.

"First, I need to come clean about something." Just saying this, Finch knew how hard this was going to be for him. "Moon, you were right, I did have other reasons for wanting to get into the tunnels than just to see that cavern.

Moon tillted her had questioningly, and much to Finch's pleasure, even Storm pricked his ears in interest, breaking the air of constant neutrality that hung about him. "Go on." Moon prompted.

Finch went on to explain his run ins with Rock and the cryptic messages the blind cat had left Finch with as well as his original intent to make his home in the dark cavern. Moon spoke up a few heartbeats after Finch finished. "So you think this, Rock cat, was trying to keep you out of the tunnels because you have some sort greater, fate, that you needed to chase elsewhere. Have any other, uh, spirt cats, ever guided you any where before?"

 _I may as well as keep digging this hole,_ Finch thought, trying to not let Moon's disbelief get to him. "Actually, yes. It was another spirt cat in the tunnels that helped my find you, and get us both out of there.

"And what was that one's name?"

"I don't know, it never stoped to tell me." Finch found his own tone now growing increasingly defensive.

"Stop arguing, both of you." Storm's voice broke the mounting tension. "Moon, does it really matter wether or not you believe him, your not tied to his paws are you?" Moon looked down at her paws, hiding her expression. "Now, more importantly, Finch, I don't know how much I believe you, but I do know a cat who would be very interested to hear your story, and may even be able to help you decide what to do next, if not at least give you a shelter for leafbare. She lives on the other side of this moor at some sort of twoleg place for horses. I'll happily acompony you there if you want."

Finch half-mindedly flexed his claws in and out as he considered Storm's proposal. Eventually, Finch decided that it would probably be in his best interest to take Storm up on his offer. _Hhhh, will I ever feel like I have a coice in what I do these days?_ He couldn't remember the last time he felt that he did. "Ok Storm, let's go meet this friend of yours."

The sun beat harshly down on the three cats as they broke from the trees and emerged on the edge of the moor. "Leaffall or not, the sun certainly still is hot," meowed Finch from his position behind Storm padding alongside Moon, in an effort to break the uneasy silence that had settled over the group since they left their spot close to the river. Storm just grunted his agreance.

Luckily for Finch, Moon was better at sparking a conversation than he was. "So Storm, whats your story, why are are you out here all alone just healing cats that pass by?" she meowed straightforwardly.

"You'll know soon enough." Was all the black tom replied.

Curious now, Finches paws iched to get where Storm was leading them. He just hoped this wasn't some sort of elaborate trap of the stange tom's.

A strange sent wafted over Finch, one that he had certainly never smelled before. "What's that smell?" He asked.

"Horses." Came Storm's reply.

"What's a horse? I've never heared of those before."

"Big dumb creatures, twolegs like to ride them across the moors occasionaly. They're harmless, just watch out for their paws. They'll crush your spine if your not careful."

Leave it to twolegs to do something as hare-brained as that. "Are we almost there?"

Storm stoped and waited for Moon and Finch to do the same next to him. When they did, Storm raised his tail and motioned towards a singal twoleg building silhouetted against a massive hedge. It looked somewhat like one of the dens a twoleg would live in, but something about it was different; something about said, "twolegs made me, but the don't live here."

Encouraged by the sight of their goal, the three cats quickened their pace toward the den.

"What cat would want to live in a twoleg thing?" Finch asked as the group approched a hole in the side of the structure. Storm swished his tail over his mouth before he could finish the question, and hissed for silence. "Wait here." Storm vanished through the opening.

Finch turned to Moon who just shruged her shoulders. "Where did you find this cat anyway?," she asked after Storm didn't reapear immediately.

"It's a long story." sighed Finch

Storms yellow eyes appeared at the opening followed by his voice. "Follow me." Finch motioned for Moon to go first, and giving the outside a quick survey, shortly followed.

Inside it was cool and dim, with light streaming through places where the roof had collapsed. The air was think with the scent of hay, mice, and cats. This put Finch's hackles up. His eyes adjusting to the new lower level of light, Finch could now make out the forms of the cats. There were many. As Finch looked around and peered closer at them though, he began to see that most of them were just lying on small piles of hay; some with noticable injuries, and other breathing in the pained shallow patterns of sickness. What kind of place is this? Thought Finch before a voice draged his eyes away from his surroundings.

Lost in thought, Finch had not nticed that his paws had kept following Storm and Moon towards the middle of the barn. Focusing infront of him now, Storm, Moon, and himself had come to a stop infront of a long haired, bluish-gray she-cat. She looked a lot older than any of them, and her eyes had the look of knowledge in them. "Greetings Storm," she purred, "I trust you are doing well?" She finished her question with a polite bowing gesture to Storm.

"Of course, and yourself?" Storm meowed back, repeating the same bowing gesture.

 _Wierd?_ Thought Finch.

"Always fine," replied the she cat with a spark of determination gleaming in her eyes, "I take it this is the two you spoke of," she finished looking at both Finch and Moon. Storm nodded his confirmation. "Greetings you two, my name is Willow, Storm tells me that I may be able to help the two of you, or, at least you perhaps in particular Finch."

Moon spoke up first. "Yes, my, uh, partner here, has quite a story to tell you."

Finch's ears were now burning with embaresment at being the center of attention. "Uhm, yes, Storm tells me you, or at least, I think you, like to help cats who could use some help." He could hardly believe the words out his own mouth.

Willow's eyes lit up with pride, "I do, here, follow me, let me show you what we do here. Oh, and Storm," Storm turned his gaze to Willow, "you don't have to follow if you don't wish, please, go catch up with the others." Storm nodded, and padded of towards a further edge of the barn. "Come on you two," Willow began padding down the center of the barn, motioning with her tail for them to follow.

"You said 'we', who else is here? I've only seen you and Storm." Finch asked before he could stop himself.

Willow kept her leisurely pace as she responded, "Just look around you, it's not just the sick and injured here." Finch looked around more intently at the edges of the barn where all the injured lay, and sure enough, the form of other cats began to appear. They were all either leaning over cats who lie in nest or sitting with others eating plump mice. "This is a place of healing and protection," Willows voice drifted through the cool air, "Me and the cats that live here, have all taken oaths to help those we find in need. We come from many backrounds, some of us were rouges, others of us were born here," She paused as if caught up in the emotion of her own speech, "Storm was, now he uses his knowledge to help strangers like yourselves. So, how can we help you?" She finished, and turned to Finch and Moon who both sat somewhat in amasement at everything Willow had said.

After catching up with his own thoughts, Finch replied. "It's a pretty long story. Is there perhaps a comfortable place we can rest while we talk?"

Willow gave a slight gasp of shock, "Oh! Of course, you three must have walked quite a ways today. Please, the prey, pile is right this way. Follow me."

The three cats were shortly setteled in a comfortable corner of the barn, each with a mouse laying at their paws. They all ate, in peaceful quiet broken only ocasionaly by the low moan of a cat in pain. Finishing the last scraps of his meal, Finch looked up at Willow. "So where would you like me to begin?"

"Where ever you please." Willow purred as she washed the blood from her chin.

The slight light of the moon had filtered through the hay-dust filled air creating a lulling haze that echoed in colour the tranquil sounds that floated in the air, when Finch finished his story for the second time that day, with Moon filling in the occasional part relative to herself. Willow sat quietly attentive until they finished before speaking. "Sounds like its been quite a journey, I'm glad to see that it turned out better than it could of; and you've certainly had some, unique experiences." She paused slightly before her last words.

"So you believe me?" Finch flexed his claws into the ground as he asked this. He didn't know why he wanted to know this, he just did.

Willow looked thoughtfully up through the crack in the roof above them, and yet further at the stars that glittered in the black sky. The air grew heavy with silence once more before she finally answered. "I believe you Finch, I myself have had similar experiences." Moon's tail twitched and her claws flexed into the wooden floor, but she remained silent.

Finch was eager to get more information, and pressed on hopefully. "So what do I do now?"

"Stay calm Finch, I can never tell you what to do. I can only provide guidence. That being said, I have heard of a place that one can go to, get better aquainted , with cats like those you've described. Have you ever heard of a place called the moonpool? It's an old legend that has passed from generation to generation around here. It says that it is a place where cats who are so inclined can contact cats long gone, and speak to them as we are now. It sounds crazy I know, but I've been there myself, and, at least for me, it was true."

Finch bounced eagarly to his paws, "then I know what I'm going to do. Uhm, where is it?"

Amuesment shone in Willow's gaze. "Patience, there will be plenty of time tomorrow. For now I suggest we sleep, it is getting late." At this, Willow beckoned them over to a pile of hay where Moon and Finch could make a nest for the night. "Til morning." She gave a final nod farewell.

Both Finch and Moon quickly made their nest and settled down to sleep. Finch was stiring restlessly as he thought about tomorrow. Moon's voice broke in on his circling thoughts. "Would you settle already? What is wrong wIth you? Up until now you've been probably the most disagreeable cat to be around that I've ever met. All of a sudden you find another cat that believes a few gohst stories you probably dreamed up anyway, and your a compleatly different cat."

Finch let Moon's words sink in. _Is she right? Am I being to eager to agree with myself? No! I know what I saw, and I know what I'm doing. Of course if I tell her one more time that she doesn't have to follow me, she'll shred my ears._ Tactfully, Finch replied. "Look, I going to do what I think I need to. After tonight you can go back to the woods and carry on with your own life. Your not tied to me anymore than I am to you." Finch let silence hang for a heartbeat, " I quess it has been fun. For what it's worth."

Moon rolled over in her nest mumbling. "What it's worth," she ecohoed.

Seeing their conversation was over, Finch made another attempt to settle into sleep. It wasn't easy, but eventualy the sound of crickets lulled him off th sleep.

A beam of morning light struck Finch in the face, waking him up. Looking around, the memories of last night came back to him. _The moonpool!_ The memory of todays goal put new zeal into his paws. Sliding out his nest, Finch began looking for Moon, or Willow, or even Storm. None of them were to be seen. Padding quietly around the barn, Finch exchanged glances with various cats as he passed; both with the sick, and the cats that bustled about to help them. Most of them simply nodded their greetings and carried on with only as much as a "good mornig." At length Finch came to the end of the row of nest he had padding down, and his gaze fell on a battle scared tom. Something about him looked familiar to Finch. _Do I know this cat?_ The injured tom rolled over in his nest and met Finch's gaze. The same faint glint of familarity glinted in his eye as did in Finches. _What is it?_

"Finch!" Storms call snaped Finch back to the present. Turning away from the tom, Finch saw Storm padding over to him.

"Storm." Finch nodded his head. "Do you know where Moon and Willow are?"

Storm poited hIs tail in the direction of the barn's main door that hung slightly ajar. Moon and Willow were sitting next to eachother, both were looking out at the trees beyond the barn. Muffled whisperings could be heard emited from the pair, but Finch couldn't make any of it out. "It's good to see that Willow is able to help you." Storm's mew reminded Finch that the black tom was standing next to him.

"Yes, I suppose I should thank you as well." Finch meowed hesitently, as he looked for words he could say.

Storm stopped him before he could go on. "Don't bother with all that now. I'm going with you to the moonpool. I've always heard of it, and now I have a perfect excuse to actually go."

"Great." Finch tried to sound as enthused as he could. I hope he gets less irritating if he's going to be traveling with me. Finishing this thought, Finch looked back towards the barn door. Moon and Willow were padding towards him and Storm; they were still talking quietly with eachother. Finch thought he caught Moon's last words as the two she-cats met them where Finch and Storm stood waiting. "Well I hope he gets less irritating if I'm traveling with him."

"Good Morning, Finch, Storm," Willow nodded to the two in turn, "Are you ready to head off?"

Finch shifted on his paws trying not to look to eager to be leaving. "Yes. Did you decide whether or not you're coming with Moon?"

Moon looked to Willow for a second then back to Finch. "Yes I'm coming. Willow convinced me that you may need the help along the way. Besides, It'll always be interesting to see new places."

"Good to hear," Finch looked to each of the cats that stood around him, "In that case, lets get going."

Willow nodded her approval. "The moonpool, if my memory serves right, is on the other side of the moor, just go to the river that borders the moors and the forest, then just follow the stream up until you come to the path to the moonpool. I wish you three luck." She turned and began to pad away, but stoped after a few seconds. "It was good to see you again Storm." She carried on without looking back.

 **A/N :** Wow! That was a long chapter. I hope It wasn't boring. Do people like long chapters? Or are shorter chapters perfered? Let me know! Review, or PM. Hab einen guten Tag!


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